World Can Achieve Climate Goals, With All 10 Billion People Prospering

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It can feel overwhelming and even futile when we hear targets like zero emissions by 2050, while population reaches 10 billion and the world’s economy triples in size – how can we possibly stay below 2°C temperature rise?

A new tool shows it is possible to meet this goal while ensuring everyone has a good standard of living. People can have the food they need, live in comfortable homes, and even travel. [Not that we condone an ever-expanding population and economy].

"The Global Calculator unequivocally demonstrates that it is physically possible to achieve both our economic development and climate change goals by 2050. The world has enough energy, land and food resources for us all to live well," says UK’s Department of Energy and Climate Change.

The Department led a team of 10 international organizations to build a model of the world’s energy, land, food and climate systems that takes us to 2050.

The Global Calculator models the kinds of lifestyles physically possible for the world’s population – from miles travelled per person to calorie consumption and diet – and the energy, materials and land necessary to satisfy all that.

Experts from more than 150 organizations have tested the model and it’s available for everyone to use. You can experiment with various pathways to see what it takes for the world to stay under 2°C.

The tool is being offered to governments around the world to use in the run-up to the Paris Climate Summit. Government officials can weigh various policy choices and see if it gets them to the 2°C goal. China, India and other countries are already using national versions of the tool.

"For the first time, this calculator shows that everyone in the world can prosper while limiting global temperature rises to 2°C, preventing the most serious impacts of climate change. Yet the calculator is also very clear that we must act now to change how we use and generate energy and how we use our land if we are going to achieve this green growth," says Ed Davey, Secretary of State for Energy & Climate Change.

While experimenting with the energy mix, energy efficiency in buildings, modes of transport and land use, the tool warns you about blackout risks, unsustainable resource consumption, or unrealistic levels of ambition.